Root & Bone Gaming

Making weird games for weird people

[rootandbonegaming]

Hey there, I'm Tom.

I'm the head of Root And Bone, a 1-man and 2-cats indie TTRPG studio. I'll be posting development updates, random game design discussions, and anything else of relevance here. Feel free to take a look around.

Games currently in development:

The Veil is Torn

Genre: post-apocalyptic survival

Status: private (closed group) playtesting

[rootandbonegaming]

I think I'm going to start posting little weekly progress updates here, alongside the larger game design discussions.

Not really for anyone in particular, just for me to look back on later to see how far I've progressed.

[rootandbonegaming]

Reminder for my fellow creatives: perfect is the enemy of good.

You can always improve it later.

[rootandbonegaming]

TViT - How Does it Work?

In its current state, The Veil is Torn supports 3-7 players. One player takes the role of the GM (Game Master). The remaining players take the role of Survivors.

The GM guides the Survivors through a scripted or freeform campaign, acting as a narrator and playing as the Other, the campaign's primary antagonist.

The Survivors each build their own character (more on this later), picking out a Class and their starting equipment.

During each game session, the GM lays out various miniatures onto the game board, a grid of squares with the size varying from campaign to campaign. The GM describes the Scene that the Survivors find themselves in and prompts them to act - the Survivors then go around the table, taking up to 2 actions during their turn. Then, the turn order swings back to the GM, and the process repeats until the Scene concludes. There are 3 types of Scenes: Exploration - Think of this like a point-and-click adventure. Survivors can interact with objects, obstacles, and NPCs (played by the GM), occasionally rolling 20-sided dice to determine the outcome of their actions. These Scenes are the primary way the plot advances, letting the Survivors look for items and learn secrets about the world they find themselves in. Combat - In TViT, combat is played similar to a skirmish wargame. The GM may have multiple enemy miniatures they are in command of, and all enemies take their turn at once - meaning Survivors need to plan ahead and strategize how to avoid dangerous outcomes. Healing is limited (and almost non-existent during combat) so the Survivors should avoid taking unnecessary damage. Rest - Finally, the Survivors can take some downtime to rest up, heal their injuries, and prepare for what lies ahead. This is the primary way the party heals, both their physical health and their mental stress. Resting isn't necessarily free, however! While the Survivors can level up during a Rest, so can the Other, so plan ahead accordingly! More info regarding character creation coming soon! -Tom

[rootandbonegaming]

Lessons learned from playtesting my indie TTRPG

If you provide a party with a room full of cursed items, there will inevitably be that one player who goes full loot goblin, maxxing out the number of curses they can sustain.

Bending the rules to let that loot goblin player utilize the interactions between their cursed items in a novel way is both hilarious and highlights exactly the kind of creative thinking I strive to foster as a GM and game developer.

You can tell the party that there is an elevator in the room they're in. You can tell them they figured out how to restore power to that elevator. You can even suggest that taking the elevator might save them some time. And, inexplicably, they will continue to use the stairs for the rest of the campaign.

Multiplicative bonuses (i.e., "double your damage") are cool, until one player figures out how to stack them into an 8x damage multiplier, vaporizing your final boss in a single attack. Ooops.

Creating a player class that automatically starts the game with a dog companion is an absolute hit. Gamers love pets, regardless of the game.

[rootandbonegaming]

TViT - What is it?

"Even though the world has ended, you're still here."

The Veil is Torn, aka TViT, is my upcoming post-apocalyptic survival TTRPG (if you're my grandma, that stands for "TableTop Role Playing Game").

In it, a group of 2-6 players take on the role of survivors, facing off against an Other, a monster piloted by the Game Master. Those players must work together, using problem-solving, creative thinking, and some good ol'-fashioned violence in order to defeat the Other and get out alive.

Played on a grid-based map, this game rotates through Scenes - each one representing a moment or location in the game's story. Each Scene poses some kind of challenge or decision the players must make, such as...

Exploring an area to scavenge for supplies

Combatting the twisted minions of the Other

Resting up to prepare for the next set of challenges ahead

If any of this sounds interesting to you, please do consider giving me a follow. I plan to post at least weekly as I work towards releasing a public playtest document later this year.

See you at the end of the world!

-Tom

[rootandbonegaming]

Meet my employees!

Charlie, my Chief Nap Coordinator

Beans, my Lead Snack Evaluator

[rootandbonegaming]

TViT - What is it?

"Even though the world has ended, you're still here."

The Veil is Torn, aka TViT, is my upcoming post-apocalyptic survival TTRPG (if you're my grandma, that stands for "TableTop Role Playing Game").

In it, a group of 2-6 players take on the role of survivors, facing off against an Other, a monster piloted by the Game Master. Those players must work together, using problem-solving, creative thinking, and some good ol'-fashioned violence in order to defeat the Other and get out alive.

Played on a grid-based map, this game rotates through Scenes - each one representing a moment or location in the game's story. Each Scene poses some kind of challenge or decision the players must make, such as...

Exploring an area to scavenge for supplies

Combatting the twisted minions of the Other

Resting up to prepare for the next set of challenges ahead

If any of this sounds interesting to you, please do consider giving me a follow. I plan to post at least weekly as I work towards releasing a public playtest document later this year.

See you at the end of the world!

-Tom

[rootandbonegaming]

The pitch for my upcoming post-apocalyptic survival TTRPG, The Veil is Torn.